


A terrible soulmate

by ismellsarcasm



Series: Quick prompts [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Aphobia, F/M, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Other, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, There's a slight mention of bullying, but generally if you're queer you'll probably enjoy this story, but it's not so bad, this tags could be considered spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:00:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22151440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ismellsarcasm/pseuds/ismellsarcasm
Summary: What happens when an aroace girl and a bisexual man get paired as soulmates.--Assumption #1: The first words people hear their soulmate say appear in human’s bodies at some point in their life, usually around 5 to 6 years old, with a 10-year margin of error. Accepted.Assumption #2: Only around 10% of the population doesn’t have a soulmate mark. Accepted.Assumption #3: 1% out of the total population doesn’t have it because they are aromantic asexual. Accepted.Assumption #4: Scarlett was aromantic asexual. Accepted.Assumption #5: Soulmates are never wrong.--
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Original Female Character & Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Quick prompts [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1492160
Kudos: 11





	1. Scarlett

_ Assumption #1 _ : The first words people hear their soulmate say appear in human’s bodies at some point in their life, usually around 5 to 6 years old, with a 10-year margin of error.  _ Accepted. _

_ Assumption #2 _ : Only around 10% of the population doesn’t have a soulmate mark.  _ Accepted _ . 

_ Assumption #3 _ : 4% out of the total population doesn’t have it because they are aromantic asexual.  _ Accepted _ . 

_ Assumption #4 _ : Scarlett was aromantic asexual.  _ Accepted _ . 

_ Assumption #5 _ : Soulmates are  **never** wrong. 

Scarlett knew that, given the amount of evidence supporting Assumption #5, she had to accept it as fact. She had never heard or seen of people having a soulmate mark that was wrong. No matter how much research she did, no matter how hard she tried to explain it, there was no denying that the words tattooed in around her arm, near her shoulder, indicated that she had a soulmate out there that she would have to fall in love with. 

The conflict in her logic, however, was in how  _ wrong _ it felt. The very image of her falling in love and getting into some romantic relationship felt unnatural; no matter how perfect she tried to imagine the scenario, it always felt like it wasn’t her. She was an outsider, looking through a window of someone else’s life. 

During her teenage years she settled nicely in denial. She’d wear sweaters in the middle of summer, no matter how much the heat itself seemed to want to kill her; she’d put her exercise band over the tattoo before going running, and she’d keep the band on until she had to shower. If she couldn’t see the letters, they might as well not be there, right?

She hated having to hang around her classmates; sometimes they’d have a pleasant time together, talking about their interests and plans for the future, but she despised it when they would talk about their soulmates. They’d share their phrases and even came up with a game to act out how they hoped to meet their soulmates. For a good while Scarlett wondered if that was the only thing, they could come up with to entertain themselves. She wouldn’t tell them that, though, no matter how boring it was, she preferred to just sit silently on the sidelines. 

“Why don’t you try it, Scarlett?” One of her classmates had said to her once in gym class. They were all sitting in a circle and all eyes were pinned on her, she was trapped in the spotlight. “I don’t think any of us have heard what your tattoo says.” The rest nodded in agreement. 

For a second she thought of lying, if she said that she didn’t have a soulmate, she wouldn’t have to explain why and she also wouldn’t have to hear the same things she had heard up to that point: 

“Oh, that’s so selfish, though!” her aunt had once said, very loudly, at a family gathering. 

“That’s so sweet, you remind me of myself before I met my darling Samuel.” had said her doctor when Scarlett had asked him about soulmates. 

“It’s just something hormonal. Maybe we should get you some help for your condition.” pondered her mom, ignoring her protests. 

Scarlett dismissed the memories out of her mind as well as the thought of lying, she was a terrible liar. 

“It’s okay, I’ll pass.” She smiled awkwardly. “It’s not a really good quote, so you’re not missing out on anything.” 

“Come on! Everyone is sharing!” another one of her classmates insisted. “Here!” 

Her classmate got up and tried to pull off her arm’s band despite her protests. Everyone was laughing, they probably thought she was only embarrassed about what it said or maybe she was just being shy. She couldn’t tell them the truth- Falsehood, she could tell them the truth, but she didn’t want to. If anyone else saw it, it would become real, she would have to face it, she would have to accept it. 

Scarlett was never sure what possessed her in that moment, she had reacted on instinct. Never a good decision. Her hand made contact with her classmate’s cheek right before he was about to pull the band off her upper arm. He fell to the ground beside her and everyone’s laughter stopped. 

“I’m so sorry!” she got up in a panic and tried to look at what she had done, but everyone else got between them and kept her at a distance. 

All eyes were on her again, but this time she didn’t feel trapped, no, this time she felt more exposed than ever, extremely vulnerable and, absolutely and utterly alone. 

She wasn’t invited to any games after that. 

As time passed, she learned to ignore it. To let fate, the universe or whatever, run its course. She stopped hiding her tattoo, but she also stopped telling people she didn’t want a soulmate. A little voice in her head always nagged her, telling her that she was lying to everyone; but it was still better than the constant fear that her tattoo would be revealed. She would have to deal with it when she met her soulmate. 

“If you don’t want a soulmate, why are you researching them, huh?” her mother had asked her over the phone when Scarlett had called to tell her about the new job she had gotten at a research facility. 

A tired laugh escaped her lips. “Just because I don’t want a soulmate, doesn't mean I hate them, mom.” 

“But what if your soulmate is a science-y type, like you? Will you change your opinion then?” her mom insisted, her tone insinuated that she was testing her resolve, as if all of this had just been a performance. In reality she was testing nothing more than her patience. 

Scarlett took a deep breath before she decided not to go into that rabbit hole with her mom again. “My first days have been great! How have you been?” 

“Alright, alright, there’s no need to get all grumpy.” Her mom had answered before they moved onto more interesting topics. 

Her life had been mostly calm after she moved out from her home in Newcastle to her current apartment in Brighton just a year ago. She had been given a fresh new start and so far, she was loving it. She adopted a dog, a big one that would jog along the shore with her in the morning. She hadn’t managed to make any friends yet, but she was ok with it for now. Her co-workers were tired of talking and hearing about soulmates at work, so they usually talked about other things when they hung out. 

It was a good life. 

It wasn’t until a Saturday morning that she heard it, the words she had dreaded for so long. She had been running with Cerberus. He already knew how to run beside her, so she didn’t bother tying him with a leash. Fall was starting and the wind was slightly colder than usual, but she was ok with that, it meant she wouldn’t get too hot if she ran a little extra today. She was listening to her favorite song with her headphones, concentrating on the chords to teach herself the song on the piano. Her mind was so distracted she didn’t notice Cerberus running ahead of her and stealing the cupcake of a stranger. 

“Agagkjraak- Chocolate!” The man panicked and managed to clean Cerberus’ mouth before he ate the cupcake. “There we go.” he said as he put away the cupcake as he petted the dog. 

_ This is it. _ She thought.  _ This is the moment I have to face the fact that I have a soulmate and I don’t get any say in it.  _

After a few beats her mind also provided her with,  _ I suffered with that stupid tattoo in my arm because my dog stole a feckin’ cupcake?!  _

Scarlett didn’t say anything, she stood frozen a few steps back, looking at him. He was probably a head taller than her, he had long brown hair which was in a bun that morning; he smiled at her, he had a nice smile. 

“Hey, is this your dog?” 

She realized too late that she was staring, she was being weird, she should say something. What was she supposed to say?  _ Hello stranger, I’m apparently supposed to spend the rest of my life with you. Would you like to hear how much I’ve been dreading this moment?  _

“Is...Is everything ok?” he asked her with a worried tone. 

She needed to say something. She could handle it, they could have a nice serious conversation after he realized she was his soulmate. Just say something. Anything! 

“I DON’T WANT A SOULMATE.” She exclaimed robotically, her body completely stiff at her sides. 

Anything but that. 


	2. Connor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look at soulmates in the eye and say "NOT TODAY!"

Connor had always been enamored with the idea of a soulmate. Someone who would be perfect for him, who would understand him, someone who would stay with him. Which explained why he was so conflicted when his tattoo appeared above his ankle. He knew some soulmates had some rocky starts and people around him assured him that just because his soulmate didn’t want a soulmate now, it didn’t mean that they wouldn’t grow to love him; but every now and then he couldn’t help but wonder, why did his soulmate didn’t want him? Did he want to be with someone that didn’t want to be with him? Did they know his secret?

“You’re staring again.” his roommate interrupted his thoughts.

Connor peeked over the sofa of the living room to the studio, where Aiden was painting the shore view from their apartment. Connor had had an absolutely exhausting evening the day before, collecting information for an article, that he had been lying down on the couch since he had woken up.

“I know,” he sighed, sitting down so that he could see Aiden properly. “but what if they end up hating me?”

Aiden looked back at him with a soft expression and a caring smile. “Who could possibly hate you?” Connor smiled at his best friend and he could've sworn something like pain flashed behind his eyes. “And besides,” said Aiden, clearing his throat and turning back to his painting. “soulmates are never wrong; you’ll fall in love eventually.”

Connor kept staring at Aiden as he continued painting and tried to ignore the slight sting he felt in his chest when he thought of falling in love with someone that wasn’t Aiden. It had been almost 3 months since he’d started having a  _ small, little, silly _ crush on him; but it was starting to become an issue. 

The problem started when Aiden had gotten into his head to teach him how to play the piano; it wasn’t until Connor was messing around on the piano, purposefully playing terribly while boasting of how great he was, that he knew. He knew when he turned around and saw Aiden's face as he laughed, a faint glow around his cheeks. He knew when he felt the desire to freeze time and stay there forever. 

He knew he was in love with someone that wasn’t his soulmate. 

Now, Connor had always been a terrible liar. He was an open book and with how well Aiden knew him, it was only a matter of time before he found out. 

Connor shook his head and walked to the studio where Aiden was painting and looked at the piece. Aiden was still painting the basics, so it all looked like random lines and sketches. With his eyes glued to Aiden’s canvas he rested his arms on Aiden’s shoulders and his head on top of his.

“I know what you’re doing.” said Aiden with a pretty annoyed tone.

“What?” Connor tried not to laugh, although he couldn’t help but smile.

“You’re starved for attention and you’ll soon start bothering me for it.” Before Connor could even defend himself, Aiden whined. “Come on! You’re much heavier that you realize, you know that, right?”

Connor let go of Aiden and gasped in mock-offense. “The nerve! The outrage!” he knocked over an empty paint container and dramatically pretended to cry. 

He noticed Aiden trying to hide a laugh, barely containing it with a restrained smile. “You’re such a child.” Aiden’s brush painted Connor’s forehead and he looked back at him with something between shock and amusement. 

From Aiden’s expression it was clear that he knew exactly what he had done. Oh, it was on! 

Connor grabbed Aiden’s painting palette and dabbed his fingers into the paint randomly lunging at Aiden to paint his skin. In turn Aiden held his brush like a knife, catching Connor’s arm and face whenever he lunged. 

At first, they had been careful not to paint each other’s clothes, but eventually they were too focused on each other’s attacks to worry about that. His heart felt full and happy and he couldn’t care less about any soulmates. 

Their quiet morning quickly crumbled under the sounds of their laughter, chasing each other through the apartment with paint. Finally, Connor was able to catch Aiden’s hand, which had the brush he had been brandishing, and threatened to push the whole palette onto his face.

“Ok!” he declared between laughs and holding his still free hand up in defeat. “You win, now let me go.”

Connor didn’t let go of him. They were so close that a kiss didn’t take any effort at all, just a small adjustment, just for a second; he pulled Aiden in. 

To his surprise, Aiden responded in kind. 

Many changes came into their lives after that. Aiden kept blushing when Connor held his hand when he wasn’t expecting it and, in turn, he teased Connor about how long it had taken him to make the first move. A real move because, according to Aiden, flirting doesn't count if it is disguised under “a trillion layers of friendly banter”. 

Then there was the whole soulmate debacle. 

Aiden wasn’t conflicted about hurting his own soulmate, because he didn’t have one. The source of their worries was Connor’s soulmate. Both of them were scared that Connor would actually fall in love with his soulmate, that he would realize that he loved his soulmate more than he loved Aiden and it terrified both of them. Aiden also didn’t want to feel like he was getting in the middle of what could be Connor’s happy ending, even though Connor insisted that his only true happy ending was with Aiden and only with him. 

Connor was more worried about how hurt his soulmate would feel; true, their first words for him would be that they didn’t want a soulmate, but what if it wasn’t true? What if his soulmate saw him and Aiden and lied to make him feel better? What if he was ruining his own soulmate’s life?

“Hey, it’s going to be ok.” said Aiden softly when he saw the familiar worried look on Connor’s face whenever he was thinking about something too much. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, yeah?” Aiden held his hand and kissed his forehead. “Together.”

Connor smiled back and nodded, but his worries just wouldn’t leave.

A year later a big black dog would steal a chocolate cupcake he had bought for Aiden and a flustered looking woman, with short orange hair and shining green eyes would scream robotically at him: “I DON’T WANT A SOULMATE.”

After a second of shock, Connor exploded laughing as all his worries seemed to disappear the moment he noticed the determination in the woman’s voice. There was a certain type of fire that he only found in the type of people that didn’t really go back on their word.

“Thank goodness!” he exclaimed back.

It was only after that, that he saw a hint of a hopeful look in her eyes. She had beautiful eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual kudos, comment and constructive criticism are always appreciated.
> 
> Have a good day and don't procrastinate too much!


	3. Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soulmates are never wrong

It was the perfect Saturday morning. The sun was shining softly on everyone and a fresh breeze passed through the venue, some flower petals of the orchard that they were in flew with the wind. Scarlett straightened her long and elegant dress as she stood up in front of a crowd, all sitting at their tables. 

She took a deep breath and clinked her glass as all eyes landed on her. 

“I’d like to make a toast.” she announced. “As most of you know, that man in there-” she pointed at Connor, who was sitting beside her “-is my soulmate. 

“I still remember how scared I was to meet him almost 4 years ago, I never thought I wanted a soulmate, but that man changed my mind. He showed me what a soulmate truly is: Someone that understands you. Someone that lets you into their life and accepts you for who you are, but at the same time inspires you to do better. Someone I can trust to call when I somehow got stuck climbing into my building because I had forgotten my keys again.” She allowed a ripple of laughter to go through the room before continuing. “My life changed after the day I heard him say this terrible quote I have to live tattooed on my body. It wasn’t quick, of course, change is never quick; and even though we had to suffer a lot to get to this point, I wouldn’t change a second of it. After bringing so much happiness into my life I can’t think of a better way to celebrate it than all of us together.

“And if anyone in this room deserves happiness it’s him and his long-suffering now  _ husband. _ ” she stopped for a round of applause and cheers for the newlyweds. She raised her glass and pointed it at the couple. “You two turned something I dreaded into something wonderful and showed not only me, but everyone that soulmates are not what determines love. Love takes work, love takes effort and love takes time. Thanks to you I can finally say that I love you,  **my soulmate** , in the deepest and purest way a platonic love can be and Aiden, you may not have a soulmate tattoo, but I’ve done enough research on people that are perfect for each other to know that you and Connor are a perfect match.” She pretended not to see Connor wiping his eyes. “Lastly, Connor, let me be the first one to tell you: If you hurt Aiden in any way, I will personally revoke your soulmate rights and hunt you down.”

Half the room muttered in agreement while the other half laughed.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?!” Connor protested.

“She helped you plan the proposal and then helped us plan our wedding, I think that’s the most we’re going to get out of her.” Laughed his husband beside him.

Connor rolled his eyes, clearly outnumbered. “You’re a terrible soulmate.” he said, turning back at Scarlett.

“Correction, I am the best soulmate.” She laughed and then raised her glass above her head. “Give it up for Connor and Aiden!”

Everybody cheered.

Assumption #1: The first words people hear their soulmate say appear in human’s bodies at some point in their life, usually around 5 to 6 years old, with a 10-year margin of error. _ Accepted. _

Assumption #2: Only around 10% of the population doesn’t have a soulmate mark.  _ Accepted. _

Assumption #3: 1% out of the total population doesn’t have it because they are aromantic asexual.  _ Accepted. _

Assumption #4: Scarlett was aromantic asexual.  _ Accepted. _

Assumption #5: Soulmates are  **never** wrong. Just, at times, misleading as hell.  _ Accepted. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual kudos, comments and constructive critisism are always appretiated!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and go out there and find your own soulmate, platonic or otherwise!

**Author's Note:**

> As usual kudos, comment and your opinions are always appreciated!
> 
> Have a good day and stay hydrated!


End file.
